Eat in Oakland: Dum Food Truck

Dum Chicken Biryani made with chicken, basmati rice, and herbs and spices

This past Sunday, I stopped by the Dum Food Truck at the Eat Real Fest at Jack London Square. Dum specializes in flavorful Indian comfort food. Their menu includes favorites like chicken and vegetable biryani, dahi puri, ragda patties, and more. 

I ordered the Dum Chicken Biryani, which is made with chicken, basmati rice, onions, potatoes, and raita on the side. The chicken was extremely tender and perfectly seasoned, while the rice was light and fluffy. It was topped with sliced onions, potato, and raita, the latter of which united the rich flavors seamlessly. It was the best biryani I've ever had and the San Francisco Chronicle agrees.

The next time I see the Dum Food Truck around I'll probably order the chicken biryani. If you've tried food from the Dum Food Truck, what do you recommend ordering?

Dum Food Truck

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Times and locations vary (Schedule)

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Eat in Oakland: Fresh Catch Poke

Spicy Tuna Poke Bowl with seaweed salad and imitation crab salad

In late April, my friend and I tried Fresh Catch Poke, a poke food truck based in the Bay Area, for the first time at the Off the Grid food truck event that occurs every Friday at the Oakland Museum of California on 10th and Oak Streets. 

I ordered the Spicy Tuna Poke Bowl with seaweed salad and imitation crab salad. Every bit of it was incredible. The tuna was fresh, high-quality, and dressed perfectly in the tangy, mayo-y, salmon roe-covered sauce; the poke was complemented well by both of the salads and sushi-grade rice. This was the perfect elevated food truck meal. I've eaten many a burrito on the sidewalk from a truck, but appreciated being able to order something I could enjoy at one of the many picnic tables set up along 10th Street.

We were not only happy to see that the truck had fantastic food, it also had a short line. (Pro-tip: arrive early so you don't have to wait 30 minutes for the scraps that other food trucks haven't sold out of.) The next time I'm at OMCA on a Friday night, I will definitely order the poke from Fresh Catch Poke again.

Fresh Catch Poke

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Open: see website

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Eat in San Jose: 333 Truck

Beer Battered Fish Tacos

I recently had the opportunity to try 333 Truck, a food truck that serves the South and East Bay through Off The Grid. They serve tacos and burritos filled with Mexican, Korean, or Indian food. What's really cool is that you can mix and match your tacos. You can pick a Carne Asada, a Lamb Curry, and a Spicy BBQ Chicken taco and call it a day.

I had the Beer Battered Fish Tacos. Even though I'm not much of a taco fan, theirs were pretty good. They were fried perfectly and didn't taste too heavy. It was prepared minutes before I ate it, making all the ingredients very fresh. The juice from the lime brought all the flavors together and gave it a tanginess I appreciate.

Next time I stop by, I'll try their vegetarian taco with black beans or one with chicken tikka.

This photo was taken on a Nexus 5 and looks this good. Isn't that crazy? I'd say so.

333 Truck

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Eat in Los Angeles: Peaches’ Smokehouse & Southern Kitchen

Grilled Cheese made with homemade pimento cheese and Pullman bread




Fried Chicken Sandwich with garlic aioli and house-cured pickles, served with waffle fries

After finishing my Red Velvet Latte from Perkup Coffee & Tea, I tried the Grilled Cheese at Peaches’ Smokehouse & Southern Kitchen, another food truck participating in Street Food Cinema. It was pretty good. The cheese had a spicy kick that made the sandwich that much more dynamic. My friend tried the Fried Chicken Sandwich and waffle fries, which I believe she enjoyed as well.

This was pretty much the perfect food to accompany an outdoor screening of a classic teen movie like Bring It On.

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Peaches’ Smokehouse & Southern Kitchen
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Times and locations vary

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Eat in Berkeley: Señor Sisig

The "Señor" Sisig Burrito with chicken, Adobo garlic rice, pinto beans, lettuce, pico de gallo, and cilantro cream sauce 

Señor Sisig is a Filipino fusion food truck that visits Berkeley as a part of Off the Grid on Mondays from 5 to 8pm on Haste and Telegraph. Their menu is short and sweet, including favorites like tacos, burritos, fries, and salads, all with a Filipino twist. 

This was at least the second time I've had their The "Señor" Sisig Burrito and it was good as I remember. You can tell that they put a lot of care into their work as every ingredient is fresh and flavorful. The chicken was especially good and I'm sure their pork and tofu are just as delicious. Their burritos are in another league compared to the run-of-the-mill burritos you'll find at fast food chains and are definitely worth the $8 price tag.

Since Señor Sisig is a part of the "mobile food extravaganza" that is Off the Grid, their times and locations vary. Be sure to check their website to see if they're in town or on the other side of the bay.

Señor Sisig

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Times and locations vary (Schedule)

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Eat in Oakland: Aguachiles El Tamarindo

Quesabirria tacos with beef broth consome

I've wanted to try quesabirria tacos since seeing fellow food blogger Brenda Ton post about them years ago. I finally got the opportunity at Aguachiles El Tamarindo, a popular Mexican food truck, a couple weeks ago. Located on International at Derby in Fruitvale, only a block from Red Bay Coffee, Aguachiles El Tamarindo is known for its seafood dishes and more recently quesabirria tacos.

My dining companion and I ordered three quesabirria tacos and consome to share. Both were quite good. Each taco has two corn tortillas covered in melted cheese that's crispy at the edges and thick pieces of meat inside. Dipping the tacos in the beef broth consome is a treat. These were heavenly.

If you've visited Aguachiles El Tamarindo, what do you recommend trying?

Aguachiles El Tamarindo

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3053 International Blvd., Oakland, CA 94601

Open: Daily 11am - 8pm

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Eat in San Francisco: MOMO noodle

Momo Spicy Noodle made with spicy egg noodles, wood ear mushroom, green onion, roasted garlic, ground peanut, and greens

I tried MOMO noodle, a food truck and now restaurant serving spicy noodles at Saluhall on Market between 5th and 6th in SoMa, for the first time last May.

Given the four noodle varieties available, I opted for the Momo Spicy Noodle. These egg noodles are mixed with their signature chili oil sauce and Sichuan pepper and then topped with wood ear mushroom, green onion, roasted garlic, ground peanut, and greens. I remember thinking the noodles had a lot of flavor (perhaps too spicy for me!) and the dish was made with fresh ingredients. This flavor profile was new to me, making it worth a future trip.

Next time I may try Popo's Noodle, made with sesame and peanut paste, or the Spicy Chicken Noodle, featuring cubes of spicy garlic chicken.

MOMO noodle

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Located in Saluhall SF: 945 Market St., Floor 2, San Francisco, CA 94103

Open: Sunday - Thursday 11am - 7pm, Friday - Saturday 11am - 7:30pm

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Eat in Berkeley: KoJa Kitchen

Kamikaze Fries made with crisscut fries, minced Korean BBQ beef, sautéed onions, kimchee, green onions, red sauce, and Japanese mayo


Beef KoJa made with Korean BBQ beef, sautéed onions, sesame vinaigrette lettuce, and red sauce, served in toasted handmade garlic rice buns

I finally tried KoJa Kitchen this weekend and I can confirm that it's popular for good reason. The Korean and Japanese fusion restaurant started out as a food truck and has since expanded to a permanent shop on Telegraph and Channing near UC Berkeley.

I tried two of their popular dishes: the Kamikaze Fries and the Beef KoJa. The crisscut fries were topped with their delicious Korean barbecue beef, two types of onions, kimchee, red sauce, and Japanese mayo. In short, they were kind of amazing.

The Beef KoJa was the main event. It's basically a burger made with spicy Korean barbecue beef, sautéed onions, sesame vinaigrette lettuce, and red sauce, sandwiched in between two garlic rice buns. Although it's hard to eat because the pieces of beef are longer than my bites are big and it's spicier than I'm used to, dagnabbit it is tasty. Just get extra napkins and maybe even a fork to pick up the beef that falls out.

You can find their trucks throughout the Bay Area or just up the way on Telegraph Avenue. Be warned that they have long lines.

KoJa Kitchen

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2395 Telegraph Ave., Berkeley, CA 94704
Open: Daily 11am - 9pm

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